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v J. G. POWELL. 4 EXTRA THREAD FEEDING DEVIUE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Nd. 523,866. Patented July 31,1894.

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J'. G. POWELL. A EXTRA THREAD FEEDING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. No. 523,866. Patented'JuIy'BI, I894.

ms Model.) 4 sheets- 311M 4.

J. G. POWELL. EXTRA THREAD FEEDING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.-

No. 52;,866. Patented July 31, 1894.

(Nd Model.) 4 sheetssheet 4.

J. G. POWELL. v EXTRA THREAD FEEDING DEVIGB FOR KNITTING MAOHINBS.- No. 523,866. Patented Ju1"y31', 1 8 94.

nlullmmlh PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. POWELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO' HIMSELF AND EDWARD POW'ELL, OF SAME PLACE.

EXTRA-THREAD-FEEDING DEVICE FOR KNlTTlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,866, dated July 31, 1 894.

Application filed July 5, 1892. Serial No.438,995. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN G. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Extra-Thread-Feeding Devices for Knitting-Machines, of which the'following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of knitting machines which are provided with means whereby a reinforcing or thickening thread is introduced throughout one-half or other fractional part of each of a certain number of the courses'ofknitting so as to thicken certain portions of the knitted tube, as for instance the knees of stockings, the object of my invention'being to so construct the mechanism which governs the introduction of the reinforcing thread that the same will be rendered positive and accurate in its operation and will thus insure the production of knitted tubes having the thickening thread uniformly disposed therein throughout a sharply defined area.

In the accompanying drawingsI have illustrated my invention as applied to a cylindrical machine for producing ribbed fabric, but it will be understood that the invention is applicable to machines for producing plain knitted tubes as well as to the rib machine shown.

In the drawingsz-Figure 1, isa side viewof sufficient of the machine to illustrate those parts to which my invention particularly relates: Fig. 2, is a plan view of the machine with some .of the upper fixtures removed or broken away in order to more clearly represent the parts beneath. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, are plan views illustrating successive steps in the operation of the parts to which myinvention relates. Fig. 8, is a perspective View of part of one of the devices forming the subject of my invention. Figs. 9 and 10,'are side views of another part of the machine also constituting oneof the features of my inven tion. Figs. 11 and 12, are detached views'of parts of a pattern chain used on the machine; and Figs. 13 and 14, are detached sectional views illustrating special details of construction of parts of the machine. 4

A represents the base of the machine earrying the cylindrical cam box A, which is usual arch mounted upon the cam cylinder A and shown by dotted lines in Fig 2, so that the cylinder cam box and dial cam plate rotate together.

Mounted upon and rotating with the dial cam plate is a radially projecting arm D constituting a carrier for a fixed jaw aanda pivoted jaw a, the latter having an arm a which is acted upon by pins 1) on the under side of a rotating disk F mounted at the outer end of the arm D, the action of either pin b upon the arm 00 serving to open the jaw a and said jaw being closed by the action of a spring I) as soon as either of the pins is with drawn from contact with the arm a The disk F has upon its upper face other pins (1 d and intermittent movements of partial rotation are imparted to the disk F by reason of the contact of one or other of the pins d with a pin d projecting from a standard f at one side of the base A, or'by reason of the contact of one-or other of the pins 12 b with a pin 12 projecting inward from a slide 9 mounted and free to move radially in the The slideg can be moved in or out by means of a transverse slide h which has a pin h adapted to an inclined slot h formed in the slide g, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.2, reciprocating movement being imparted to the slide h at proper intervals by means of pins h upon a pattern chain G adapted to a wheel G below and at one side of the base A of the machine, the pins being of different lengths as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and the long pins acting upon one arm 7; and the short pins upon another arm 1' of a three armed lever H, the arm 1; being laterally offset so as to carry it out of the path of the short pins as shown in ICO Figs. 1, 2 and 14. The third arm 11 of the lever H is connected by a link i to an arm 2' on a rock shaft J which turns in bearings in brackets on the under side of the base A, said shaft having an arm 11 provided at the upper end with a pin i adapted to a slot 714 in the slide h. As the chain G moves, therefore, the long pin or pins h acting on the arm t" of the lever H cause such operation of said lever, and its connected parts as will thrust the slide h forward and withdraw or move outward the slide 9, while the action of the short pin or pins it upon the arm 11 of the lever I-I causes such operation of the latter and its connected parts as will effect the withdrawal or backward movement of the slide h, and hence a projection or thrusting inward of the slide g.

Accidental movement of the slide it from either of its extreme positions is prevented by means of a spring catch or clip h which engages with one or other of two notches formed in a block h on the top of the slide 71. as shown in Fig. 1.

When the slide 9 is moved inward the pin 1) is in position to act in succession upon the pins b of the disk F and thus cause the intermittent turning of said disk as the latter is carried around with the arm D, but when the slide 9 is moved outward the pin b is out of the path of the pins b and hence exercises no control over the disk F which therefore remains stationary in the position to which it was last adjusted by contact of the fixed pin d with one of the upper pins d of the disk.

The reinforcing thread a." is fed between the jaws a a and thence passes through a suitable eye :0 in the arm D on its way to the thread guide m and to the needles of the machine; hence as long as the jaws a a are open the reinforcing thread can be drawn through the same so as to be knitinto the fabric, but when said jaws are closed, the further forward movement of the reinforcingthread is prevented and the thread will be broken at some point between the needles and jaws, the loose end of the reinforcing thread being drawn in again by the main knitting thread so when the jaws'are once more opened, as will be explained hereinafter.

Each movement of the disk F is to the extent of one-fourth of a turn and such movement is sufficient either to cause one of the pins 1) to act on the arm a of the jaw a and thus open the same, or to. carry the pin b out of contact with said arm a so as to permit the jaw to close under the influence of the spring 1), and as one movement of the disk is effected by contact of one of the pins 12 with the pin and the other movement by contact of one of the pins (1 with the pin (1' it follows that the reinforcing thread will be fed to the needles while the disk F is traveling from one pin to the other and the jaws are open, and will be broken off so as to cause the feed of the main knitting thread alone to the needles while the disk is traveling through the remaining segment of the circle, and the jaws are closed. In the present instance there is, above the jaws, a grooved guide or trough m mounted upon the fixed jaw a and above said trough m is an inclined shield or deflector plate an under which the reinforcing thread 00' passes on its way to the jaws and by which said reinforcing thread is caused to lie at all times in the base of the grooved guide m.

The main knitting thread a: is also caused to pass down through the grooved guide 'm during the time that the jaws are open, so as to insure the drawing in of the end of the supplementary knitting thread during such time, the frictional contact of the main knitting thread with the supplementary knitting thread at the base of the grooved guide being amplysufiicient to insure the prompt and steady feeding of said supplementary thread to the machine so long as both threads occupy the base of the groove. Before the jaws a a are closed, however, themain knitting thread as is withdrawn from the grooved guide and from between the jaws so that, when the latter close, they nip and cause the breaking of the supplementary thread 00' only, the main thread continuing to be fed through the eye 00 and thence to the thread guide a and needles of the machine.

The means for carrying the main knitting thread into and out of the grooved guide and jaws and also certain means employed for forming slack in the supplementary knitting thread and delivering the same at the proper time, are shown in Figs. 1 to 7, and are as follows: t

On the arm D is a boss or projection '21. having a central hub or stud n, upon which the disk F turns, as shown in Fig. 13, this projection providing a bearing for a spindle n, which has at the upper end a head it? from which projects an outwardly and downwardly bent finger n as shown in Fig. 1, the lower portion of said shaft or spindle 07. also having a tee a.

To the spindle n is secured a spur segment in which meshes with a ,like segment having a hub and mounted upon the upper end of a stud p likewise projecting above the bearing 01. so thatany movement imparted to the spindle 'n' will be transmitted to the spur segment 70.

Projecting from the hub of the spur segment is or from any other available part of the spindle n is an arm 8 hooked at the outer end so as to serve as a guide for the reinforcing thread a) and from the hub of the spur segment 70' projects a like hooked arm 8' which serves as a guide for the main knitting thread w. l

The toe n of the spindle n projects into the path of the pins d on the upper face of the disk F and when said disk is moved so as to cause one of said pins to bear upon theposition as to hold the threadguiding fingers s s in their outward positions, as'also shown in said Fig. 3, but as soonas the pin dis moved away from the toe n by-contact of the pin 1) with one of the under pins 19 of the disk F, the spur segments is and k are so moved under the influence of a torsion spring n acting on the hub of the spur segment k as to cause the arms $8 to approach each other as shown in Fig. 4, thismovement, however; be- .ing a gradual one owing to the fact that as soon as the toe n is released from the control of the pind the finger n of the shaft'n comes under the influence of a cam segment 15 mounted on the slide g, the inner face of said cam segment being eccentric in respect to the path of the disk F; hence as the said finger 01 travels along the gradually receding surface of the cam segment t the spring n is caused to gradually bring the hooked outer ends of the arms 3 s inward or toward each other, the efiect of which is to lay the main knitting threadwinto the base of the grooved guide m and between the jaws a a and-at the same time to deliver the slack of the supplementary knitting thread as shown in Fig. 4, so that the end of the supplementary'thread which runs down through the groove guide to the jaws is left perfectly loose and free to be drawn down by the main knitting thread through the open jaws and thence to the thread guide and needles of the machine, it being understood, of course, that the same action of the disk F which released the toe n caused the opening of the jaw a by-the action of one' of the pins b upon the arm a of said jaw.

Before the machine completes the desired fraction of its rotation during which time the supplementary thread is to be fed to the nee dles, the finger n of the shaft n comes under the influence of a= second cam segment to mounted upon the upper end of the standard f, this cam segment being also eccentric in respect to the path of travel of the disk F, but the eccentricity beingthe reverse of that of the cam t, so that said cam w acts upon the finger n to cause movement of the spur seg ments is and k in a direction the reverse of that permitted by the cam 15. In other words, the hooked armss s are, by the action of the cam w upon the arm n caused to gradually recede from each other as shown in Figs. 5

and 6, the effect of this movement being to carry the knitting thread as out of the groove m and from between the jaws act and to form slack in the supplementary knitting thread w to be afterward delivered in the manner above setforth. The parts are held in this position by reason of the contact of one of the pins 01 with the toe n as said pin leaves the pin (1', after having caused the turning of the disk F so as to permit of'the closing of the jaws a a, (see Fig. 7.) 4 I A spring catch f serves,-by engagement with notches f in the disk F, to retain said disk in its successive positionsof adjustment portion.

and to prevent any accidental movement of the thread guide and needles is started and stopped at substantially the same point in each rotation of the machine so that the thick ened portion of thestocking, due to the introduction of the supplementary knitting thread, hassharp and well defined edges, the supplementary thread being introduced for any desired number of successive courses, or in other words, as long as the slide 9 with its pin 6 is allowed to remain in the inner posi-' tion, the operation of the disk F being arrested as soon as the slide g iswithdrawn so as to carry the pin 6 out of the path of'the pins 5.

The grooved guide .717. which receives the main and supplementary knitting threads, before the latter reach the jaws, provides extended frictional contact between the continuously traversing main thread and the 1 loosely hanging end of the supplementary thread and thus renders certain the carrying forward of saidend ofthe supplementary thread as soon as the main thread is laid into the groove so that the supplementary thread is introduced into every course in which it is desired and throughout practically the same extent in each successive course, thus overcoming the objection of uncertainty of action which has been, so far as I am aware, adefect in previous devices intended for the same purpose as those forming the subject of my invention.

It is advisable to lengthen the stitches in that portion of the knitted tube into which the supplementary thread is introduced in order that this portion of the tube may, not

be deprived of elasticity due to such introtube that portion of said tube in which the extra thread isemployed, will be stifier' in texture than the remaining or single thread portion and will hence be deficient in elasticity as compared with said single. thread I therefore. provide for depressing the drawing down cam. in the needle cambox A and for holding the same in'such depressed position during the time that the extra thread is being fed, to the needles, the drawing down cam being then permitted to rise to its'normal position so as to draw the shorter normal stitch during the time that the single thread only is being fed to the needles. The mechanism for eft'ectingthis result is. as, follows: The drawing down cam is of the usual character, but has a projecting pin 12 which eX- .tends through a slot in the cam; box and enin a bearing 1: on the side of said cam box,

this slide being connected to one arm of a lever o hung to the cam box. The other arm of the lever c has a projecting lug e which is adapted to be acted upon by two cams r and o mounted on the base of the machine, the cam '0 being adapted to act upon the lug 0 so as tolift the same and cause a forward movement of the slide 11 so as to pull down the drawing cam, while the cam '0 acts to depress the lug v and thus pull back the slide '0 in order to lift said drawing cam.

The cam o is under control of a wedge carried by a bar 11 which slides on the base A, the outer end of said bar having a slot g for the reception of a pin y at the upper end of an arm g secured to the rock shaft J; hence as said rock shaft is caused to vibrate under the action of the pattern chain G and lover H the bar y will be moved in and out and will thus either withdraw the wedge 21 from under the cam '0 and permit the latter to drop or else will insert said wedge beneath the cam 12 and elevate the latter.

When the cam o is down the lug 11 passes above the same without being operated by it, but when said cam '0 has been elevated it acts upon said lug r so as to push forward the slide '0 and cause the pulling down of the drawing cam of the cam box.

The cam o is constructed so as to act upon and depress the lug 1: when said cam is elevatedwas shown in Fig. 10, the lug passing above the cam without being actuated thereby when said cam is depressed. The cams '22 and '0 are raised and lowered simultaneously, the stem of the cam 0 being acted upon by an arm 1 on the rock shaft J at the same time that the arm 3 acts upon the wedge bar y.

WVhen the cams r and o are elevated the drawing down cam will pull long stitches during that half turn of the machine in which the supplementary thread is being fed to the needles and shorter stitches during the remaining half turn when the needles receive only the single thread and when both cams are depressed the drawing down cam of the cam box A will remain continuously in the elevated position, and the shorter or normal stitches will be drawn throughout the entire circuit of the tube. i

In the machine illustrated the cam segmentst and w are used simply to cause a gradual movement of the thread controlling arms 8 and s and where such gradual movement is not of importance, said cam segments may be dispensed with, the movement of the arms in one direction being caused by the action of either of the pins d upon the too 71. of the shaft n, and the movement of said arms in the opposite direction being caused by the spring of when the pind is moved out of engagement with said toe.

Various modifications of the means employed for operating the slide 9 and cams o and '0' will also suggest themselves to those familiar with the class of machinery to which my invention relates; hence said invention is not, so far as most of my claims are concerned, limited to the devices shown and described for the purpose, and the same is true of the other details of minor importance in the machine. The cam 11 might, for instance, be fixed in the position shown in Fig. 10, so that the lug 12 would be acted upon and depressed thereby when it had previously been lifted by the cam 11 but would at other times, pass beneath the said cam 11' without being acted upon.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines of a pair of jaws, a grooved guide through which the main and supplementary threads pass before reaching said jaws, a movable guide whereby the main thread is laid in or withdrawn from the grooved guide and jaws, and means for independently operating said jaws, and the movable guide, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines of apair of jaws, a grooved guide through which the main andsupplementary threads pass before reaching the jaws, a shield or deflector whereby the supplementary thread is retained in the base of the groove, a movable guide for laying the main thread in and withdrawing it from the grooved guide and jaws, and means for operating said jaws and the movable guide, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines, of the jaws for nipping the supplementary knitting thread, a rotating carrier for said jaws, an arm for forming slack in said thread, a shaft carrying said arm, a toe on said shaft, a disk having pins or projections for bearing upon said toe, and means for intermittently moving said disk, substantially as specified.

4.. The combination in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines, of the jaws for nipping the supplementary thread, a guide through which the main and supplementary threads pass before reaching the jaws, an arm for laying the'main thread into and carrying it from said guide and jaws, a shaft carrying said arm, and means for imparting movement of partial rotation to said shaft, substantially as specified.

5. The combination in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines, of the jaws for nipping the supplementary knitting thread, a grooved guide through which the main and supplementary threads pass before reaching the jaws, an arm for laying the main knitting thread into and carrying it out of said guide and jaws, an arm for forming slack in the supplementary knitting thread, and means for simultaneously operating said main and supplementary thread controlling arms, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines, of the rotating carrier having a shaft with projecting arms forming a thread guide, a finger projectlng from said shaft, a spring for moving the shaft in one direction, and a cam segment controlling the position of said finger during a portion of the rotating movement of the carrier so as to impart a gradual movement to thethread guiding arm, substantially as specified.

7. The combination, in extra thread feed- 1ng devices for knitting machines, of the ro-' tating carrier, a shaft mounted thereon and having aprojecting thread guiding arm, a finger projecting from said shaft, a cam segment against which said finger bears duringa portion of the rotation of the carrier so as to cause movement of partial rotation of the shaft, and a spring for holding said finger in contact with the cam, substantially as speci- 8. The combination in extra thread feedmg devices for knitting'machines, of the rotatlng carrier, a shaft mounted thereon and having a projecting thread guiding arm, a pro ecting finger on said shaft, a cam segment for acting on said finger, and imparting movement of partial rotation to the shaft, aspring for moving the shaft in the reverse direction, a movable stop and means carried by the shaft for engaging said stop, thereby preventing such reverse movement of the shaft while galal stop is in position, substantially as speci- 9. The combination in extra thread feed- 1ng devices for knitting machines, of a rotating carrier, a shaft mounted thereon and having a projecting thread guiding arm, a proectlng finger on said shaft, a spring acting to turn the shaft and two cam segments acting in succession on said finger as the carrier is rotated, one cam governing the movement of the shaft 1n one direction and the other vcam causing the movement of said shaft in Ehei opposite direction, substantially as specie 10. The combination in extra thread feedng devices for knitting machines, of a rotatng carrier having a shaft and hub, one having aprojecting guide arm for the main thread and the other a projecting guide arm for the supplementary thread, gearing connecting said shaft and hub, a finger projecting from the shaft, and means for acting on said finger as the carrier rotates so as to impart movement of partial rotation to the shaft, substantially as specified. 11. The combination, in extra thread feeding devices for knitting machines, of the rotating carrier having a shaft and hub one having a projecting guide arm for the main thread, and the other a projecting guide arm for the supplementary thread, gearing connecting said shaft and hub, a finger projecton said finger as the carrier rotates, and a 7 spring for maintaining said finger in contact 'with said cam segment, substantially 'as specifled.

12. The combination in extra thread feed ing devices for knitting machines, of a rotating carrier having a shaft and hub, one havingap'rojecting guide armfor the main thread, and the other a projecting guide arm for the supplementary thread, gearing connecting said shaft and hub, a finger projecting from said shaft, a spring acting to turn the same, and two cam segments acting onsa1d finger as the carrier rotates, one segment governing movement of the shaft in one direction and the other causing movement in the opposite direction, substantially as specified.

13. The combination in extra thread feedin g devices for knitting machines, of a rotating carrier, a shaft mounted thereon and having a projecting thread guiding arm, a proj ecting toe on said shaft, a disk also mounted on the carrier and having pins or projections for acting on said too, and means for moving the shaft when it is released from the control of said pins or projections, substantially as specified; I Y

14. The combination in extra thread feeding devices .for knitting machines, of the rotating carrier having a shaft and hub, one with a projecting guide arm for the main knitting thread, and theother with a projecting guide arm for the supplementary thread, gear.- ing connecting said shaft and hub, a project. ing toe on the shaft, a disk also mounted on the carrier and having projecting pins for acting on said toe, means for imparting intermittent movements of partial rotation to the disk, and means for moving the shaft when the too has been released from the control of the pin on the disk, substantially as specified.

15. In a machine provided with means for feeding an extra thread to the needles during a partial turn of the machine, the combination of such means with the drawing down cam in the cylinder cam box, cam shifting devices mounted upon and rotating with said cam box, two cams adapted to engage with said shifting devices as thecam box is rotated, one of said cams being constructed to move the shifting device in one direction, and the other being constructed to move said device in the opposite direction, and means whereby said cams are rendered operative on the starting into action of the extra thread feeding devices, and inoperative on the cessation of said extra thread feed, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G. POWELL. Witnesses: WILLIAM D. OoNNER,

HARRY SMITH. 

